What Went Wrong on Friday-My Perspective

I have gotten over the loss. I actually surprise myself because I have told myself for years that there are more important things than football and it's just a game. That mental resolve was severely tested over the weekend, but it remains steadfast and firm. Sunday was worse than Saturday for me, but life goes on. Now, I am not wishing to re-hash or re-open old wounds, but I do want to explain my thoughts on what happened Friday night in Reno now that a few days worth of digesting everything has taken place.

Coaching-
Coach Pete is nothing short of a God for Bronco fans. I am not sure that there is really anything different that he could have done to prepare his players mentally, but they weren't ready for what Nevada was throwing at them in the second half. It appeared that the team fell into the same trap that we as fans did; We are better than the Wolfpack and all we need to do is show up and we will win. Obviously, that was not the case.

Strength and Conditioning-
Boise State's defense was gassed in the second half. Part of that may have had to do with the fact that the starters hadn't played an entire game since Oregon State came to town. It also was because Nevada had possession of the ball for most of the 3rd and 4th quarters. Vai Taua wore them down and the Wolfpack capitalized on it.

Play Calling-
The Broncos' offensive coordinator panicked. Nevada brought heat on just about every play in the second half (mainly from man-yetti Dontay Moch) and Boise State never adjusted. For me, the worst part was that they got away from the power running game with which they had so much success in the first half. Doug Martin up the middle was earning the Broncos 5 or 6 yards per carry. The second half saw lots of passing for Kellen Moore and those ridiculous sweep plays where the running back had the ball 7 yards deep in the backfield. Obviously it was ineffective. They panicked and ditched the power running game. It's too bad because Martin was having a career night for yards and touchdowns, and because it would have eaten the clock and let the defense rest a little bit.

Dropped Passes-
It was painful to watch. Titus Young and Mitch Burroughs started the second half with drops. Momentum killers. "If it touches your hands you have to catch it son!"


Luck-
Or should I say, lack of it. Boise State forced one turnover from Nevada; a gorgeous George Iloke interception on Nevada's first drive. After that, there were at least two Wolfpack fumbles that somehow flew right into teammates' hands. What if the Broncos somehow were able to get at least one of those? Boise State just couldn't catch a break in the luck department. Maybe someone broke a mirror before the game...

Injuries/Suspensions-
Byron Hout and Michael "Canadian Bacon" Atkinson were sorely missed Friday night. Hout is an outstanding run-stopper. Also, the presence of Atkinson to spell some of the winded defensive lineman would have helped immensely. Tyler Shoemaker was injured and did not play and we really could have used him.

Referees-
I feel like I keep mentioning them, but they were really bad. As I have said many times, I am not blaming the officials for the loss. This post is about what went wrong for Boise State, and referees were part of it-They couldn't catch a break from them either. Karl Benson has since come out and said that the calls that were made were correct, including the field goal at the end of regulation. To that I say, I guess. If there wasn't any problem with them then why is there a need to come out and defend them? Also, look at this post on obnug.com. It has to do with the Brotzman's first field goal attempt and how there is no way that it missed. Take it for what it's worth...

What are your thoughts? Did I miss anything or is there something that I got wrong here? Please let me know. I am open for discussion on anything. Let's continue to get ready for the Utah State game on Saturday. Bowl season is coming!